Theatre Review: Dear Evan Hansen

Following our titular protagonist, we are taken through a story exploring mental health, parenthood, relationships and loss. It tackles themes such as performative activism, the pros and cons of social media and how terrible circumstances can bring people closer together. Without spoiling too much, we are taken on a journey throughout Act One which builds tensions to an almost unbearable level- culminating in two of the most intense and well-acted scenes I have ever seen on stage. The level of cringe, sadness and heartbreak was palpable throughout the audience.

Dear Evan Hansen manages to blend serious real-world topics with an almost surreal level of dark comedy- drawing similarities between shows such as Heathers which also approaches similar issues surrounding mental health, suicide and deceit. Whereas that show leans more into the campiness however, Dear Evan Hansen instead chooses to go down a more mature and serious route- you can expect laughs (and some very funny characters), but these come more as brief moments of relief rather than setting the tone of the whole show.

This review cannot go further without first commending the showstopping performance of our lead actor. It can be difficult to step into a character who is associated with an iconic Broadway performer (Hamilton and Elphaba immediately come to mind), however Ryan Kopel managed to not only step out of Ben Platt’s shadow, I’d put forward a strong case for him to be known as the definitive Evan Hansen actor. Knowing what I already did about the plot, I was ready to strongly dislike Evan- the actions he takes, the lies he tells all point to a very deceptive character. Ryan was able to completely change that- portraying an incredibly vulnerable Evan who falls completely into being a victim of circumstance. His chemistry with the other cast members is palpable- whether that be the frustrations and support he gets from his mum (Alice Fearn), the awkwardness but gradual opening up he shows to the Murphy Family, or the comedic beats he shares with best friend Jared (Tom Dickerson). His singing voice as well managed to shine throughout- not an easy task when you make up most of the show’s solo numbers! Long story short- get this man his goddam Tony already!

That is not to say that the rest of the cast weren’t able to hold their own- each one gave an absolutely outstanding performance both in the singing and acting department. Both mothers in particular (Alice and Helen Anker) presented us with some incredibly emotionally charged performances- showing us their grief and tenderness through some very powerful numbers. Zoe’s character (Lauren Conroy) shows a lot of character growth throughout the show- initially coming across as standoffish and closed off, we see her open up and become more emotionally vulnerable throughout the course of the show.

The musical would not be what it is without the amazing work of both the set and music department. The ingenious use of multimedia, utilising social media feeds, creative lighting to indicate separate locations in the real and digital space and creative use of scene transitions really stood out. This coupled with the iconic soundtrack really elevated the show. There were moments throughout where I had literal goosebumps- whether that be during the key change in Waving Through a Window or the showstopping Act One finale that is You Will Be Found. Dear Evan Hansen also takes the award for most people I’ve heard audibly sobbing during a musical number (and I include myself among them)- putting Words Fail and So Big/ So Small next to each other really helped crank up those emotions and gave us one of the best moments in the show between Ryan and Alice.

In conclusion, if you haven’t already- go get tickets! I can already see Dear Evan Hansen being the must-see musical tour of the year. Just make sure to bring tissues!

Dear Evan Hansen plays at the Nottingham Playhouse from Wednesday 18th September until Saturday 28th September 2024.